Fryeburg (town), Maine

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Fryeburg is a town in Oxford County, Maine, USA. The population was 3,083 at the 2000 census. Fryeburg is home to Fryeburg Academy, a private preparatory school established in 1792. It is also home to the Fryeburg Fair, which each October attracts approximately 60,000 visitors.

Contents

1 History
2 Geography
3 Demographics
4 Transportation & Commerce
5 External links

History

Settled in 1762, Fryeburg began as a strategic frontier outpost. Its founder, British General Joseph Frye, secured the lands upon which the town sits from local Algonquians and their French trading partners, at that time both enemies of the Crown. Excellent soil helped it develop into a prosperous agricultural center. On the eve of American independence, the royal colony of Maine granted township privileges to Fryeburg. These were recognized and validated by the Continental American government on January 11, 1777, when Fryeburg was incorporated.

Many historical events have occurred in the community. They include several skirmishes between the Pequawkets, a regional Abenaki tribe, and British expeditionary forces under the command of Capt. John Lovewell. Before his career as a statesman, Daniel Webster taught for a year at Fryeburg Academy, one of the oldest in the nation. Another prominent resident was Clarence E. Mulford, creator of Hopalong Cassidy.

Historic Sites & Museums:

Fryeburg Fair Farm Museum
Fryeburg Historical Society Museum

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 170.6 km² (65.9 mi²). 151.1 km² (58.3 mi²) of it is land and 19.5 km² (7.5 mi²) of it (11.42%) is water. Fryeburg is drained by the Saco River.

Demographics

This article describes the town of Fryeburg as a whole. Additional demographic detail is available which describes only the central settlement or village within the town, although that detail is included in the aggregate values reported here. See: Fryeburg (CDP), Maine.

As of the census² of 2000, there were 3,083 people, 1,245 households, and 841 families residing in the town. The population density was 20.4/km² (52.8/mi²). There were 1,648 housing units at an average density of 10.9/km² (28.2/mi²). The racial makeup of the town was 98.15% White, 0.32% Black or African American, 0.13% Native American, 0.23% Asian, 0.16% Pacific Islander, 0.16% from other races, and 0.84% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.17% of the population.

There were 1,245 households out of which 30.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.6% were married couples living together, 9.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.4% were non-families. 27.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.40 and the average family size was 2.90.

In the town the population was spread out with 23.5% under the age of 18, 6.5% from 18 to 24, 26.0% from 25 to 44, 28.3% from 45 to 64, and 15.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females there were 91.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.6 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $34,333, and the median income for a family was $40,128. Males had a median income of $26,469 versus $20,486 for females. The per capita income for the town was $18,658. About 9.7% of families and 11.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 11.6% of those under age 18 and 11.9% of those age 65 or over.

Transportation & Commerce

Fryeburg is the second largest port of entry into the state of Maine, next to Kittery. It is also home of the Eastern Slope Regional Airport. In August 2005, the airport proposed to increase its commercial status with flights to and from Boston and Portland.

Bottled water giant Poland Spring also has a significant presence in the region. Recently, the town's planning board approved a new filling station for Poland Spring's trucks in Fryeburg, very much against the will of many townspeople. This action in turn prompted a petition demanding that the planning board be democratically elected.

Fryeburg is also the home of Dearborn Precision Tubular Products, a major metals manufacturer. The town is the state's second-largest producer of potatoes after Aroostook County.

External links

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